After the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission called for a complete ban on the use of glue traps to catch animals some people consider “pests”, the Scottish Government has indicated that it’s now planning to ban them.
The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission review of the use of these traps concluded: “The commission believes that the animal welfare issues connected with the use of glue traps would justify an immediate outright ban on their sale and use.”
Mairi McAllan, Scotland’s environment minister, told the Scottish Parliament that the Government wants to end the “cruel practice of setting glue traps” which is “one of the cruellest methods of rodent control”. She added: “We have carefully considered the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission’s findings alongside all other relevant evidence and I’m pleased to announce in Parliament today that we intend to end the cruel practice of setting glue traps… The commission’s report is clear that there are significant animal welfare issues related to the use of glue traps, not only for rodents but also for other non-target species such as wild birds…Therefore, we will bring forward legislation to ban glue traps in this parliamentary term.” The minister also said the government intends the ban to cover both the sale and use of these horrible traps.
Rats, mice, squirrels, or birds can fall victims to these inhumane devices, enduring slow and agonizing deaths after being caught. As they try to escape, they can rip patches of skin, fur, or feathers from their bodies, and they may be suffering for days before eventually dying from starvation, suffocation, or dehydration.
Last year Iceland also announced that it will ban these traps. New Zealand, Ireland, and the Australian state of Victoria are other examples of territories that have successfully banned rodent glue traps. The Welsh Government has also announced its intention to ban the use of deadly glue traps in Wales.
